Sink Drain Device

ABSTRACT

A sink drain device includes a tubular main body having a tubular surrounding wall that extends along an axis and that defines a drain channel, and a strainer detachably mounted in the tubular main body. The tubular surrounding wall has an internal thread. The strainer has opposite upper and lower surfaces, a side surrounding surface extending downwardly from a periphery of the upper surface, a non-circular operating hole formed in the upper surface and registered with the axis, a plurality of drain holes extending through the upper and lower surfaces and surrounding the operating hole, and an external thread formed on the side surrounding surface, and being threadedly and removably connected to the internal thread.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a sanitary device, more particularly to a sink drain device that is conveniently operable.

BACKGROUND

Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. M491059 discloses a conventional sink drain device including a tubular main body, a base that is mounted on a top end of the tubular main body, a filter that is mounted on a top end of the base, and a locking bolt that locks removably the filter to the base. The tubular main body has a flange portion formed at the top end thereof. The base has a fixing ring portion covering and fixed to the flange portion of the tubular main body, and a supporting frame portion disposed in and connected to diametrically-opposite ends of the fixing ring portion. The supporting frame portion has a locking hole, and the filter has a through hole and a plurality of drain holes, such that the locking bolt can extend through the through hole and threadedly engage the locking hole. The filter can drain water out and filter most small articles, such as hairs However, the tubular main body may be clogged with obstructing matter, such as unfiltered hairs and grease, after being used for a period of time. When this occurs, a maintainer has to use a tool such as a screwdriver to unlock the filter from the base by removing the locking bolt, thereby permitting extension of a flexible tool into the tubular main body through a gap between the fixing ring portion and the supporting frame portion for cleaning.

The following are the disadvantages of the conventional sink drain device:

1. The fixing ring portion of the base needs to properly fit to the flange portion of the tubular main body using a specific machine, such that the processes of manufacturing the base and the tubular main body are complicated and relatively costly.

2. The size of the flexible tool cannot be too large, or the flexible tool may not able to extend through the gap between the fixing ring portion and the supporting frame portion. However, cleaning effectiveness may be affected if the size of the flexible tool is too small.

3. The locking bolt has to be unlocked to detach the filter from the base. The size of the locking bolt is small, so that the locking bolt may fall into the tubular main body or even be lost during the cleaning process.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a sink drain device that can alleviate the drawbacks associated with the abovementioned prior art.

Accordingly, a sink drain device of the present disclosure includes a tubular main body having a tubular surrounding wall that extends along an axis and that defines a drain channel, and a strainer detachably mounted in the tubular main body. The tubular surrounding wall has a top end, a bottom end opposite to the top end, and an internal thread formed adjacent to the top end. The strainer has an upper surface, a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, a side surrounding surface extending downwardly from a periphery of the upper surface, a non-circular operating hole formed in the upper surface and registered with the axis, a plurality of drain holes extending through the upper and lower surfaces and surrounding the operating hole, and an external thread formed on the side surrounding surface, and threadedly and removably connected to the internal thread of the tubular main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a sink drain device according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the first embodiment with an operating hole thereof being engaged with a hexagon key;

FIG. 4 is a partly exploded sectional view of a second embodiment of the sink drain device according to the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of the second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a partly exploded sectional view of a third embodiment of the sink drain device according to the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an assembled sectional view of the third embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the third embodiment with drain holes thereof being engaged with a needle-nose pliers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first embodiment of a sink drain device according to the present disclosure is adapted to be installed in a sink 100 (see FIG. 2). The sink 100 includes a bottom wall having opposite upper and lower walls 110, 120, a spill channel 130 formed between the upper and lower walls 110, 120, and a mounting hole 140 extending through the upper and lower walls 110, 120 and being in spatial communication with the spill channel 130. The sink drain device includes a tubular main body 10 and a strainer 20 detachably mounted in the tubular main body 10.

The tubular main body 10 has a tubular surrounding wall 12 that extends along an axis (L) through the mounting hole 140 and that defines a drain channel 11, and a flange 13 that extends from the tubular surrounding wall 12. The tubular surrounding wall 12 has a top end 121, a bottom end 122 that is opposite to the top end 121, an inner surrounding surface 123 that extends from the top end 121 to the bottom end 122 and that defines the drain channel 11, an outer surrounding surface 124 that is opposite to the inner surrounding surface 123 in a radial direction, an internal thread 125 that is formed on the inner surrounding surface 123 adjacent to the top end 121, and a plurality of spill outlets 126 that extends through the inner and outer surrounding surfaces 123, 124 and that communicate the spill channel 130 with the drain channel 11. The flange 13 extends radially and outwardly from the top end 121 of the tubular surrounding wall 12, and has a top surface 131 substantially registered with a top surface of the upper wall 110.

The strainer 20 includes a top wall 21 and an annular wall 22 that extends downwardly from a periphery of the top wall 21 (i.e., the strainer 20 has an inverted U-shaped cross-section). The top wall 21 has an upper surface 211, and a lower surface 212 that is opposite to the upper surface 211 along the axis (L). The annular wall 22 has a side surrounding surface 221 that extends downwardly from a periphery of the upper surface 211. The strainer 20 has a non-circular operating hole 23 that is formed in the upper surface 211 and that is registered with the axis (L), a plurality of drain holes 24 that extend through the upper and lower surfaces 211 212 and that surround the operating hole 23, and an external thread 25 that is formed on the side surrounding surface 221 and that is threadedly and removably connected to the internal thread 125 of the tubular main body 10. In this embodiment, the operating hole 23 of the strainer 20 is a hexagonal hole and extends through the upper and lower surfaces 211, 212 along the axis (L).

As shown in FIG. 3 and with further reference to FIG. 2, a user can rotate the strainer 20 about the axis (L) by inserting a hexagon key 200 into the operating hole 23 and rotating the hexagon key 200 about the axis (L) so as to drive engagement between the internal thread 125 and the external thread 25 or to drive disengagement of the external thread 25 from the internal thread 125. In such manner, the strainer 20 can easily be mounted to or detached from the tubular main body 10.

Referring back to FIG. 2, when the strainer 20 is mounted to the tubular main body 10, the operating hole 23 and the drain holes 24 can filter hairs or other miscellaneous articles. Therefore, the operating hole 23 is not only for receiving the hexagon key 200 but also for draining water out.

When a drain tube 500 (see FIG. 2) which is connected to a bottom end of the surrounding wall 12 is clogged, the user can insert a cleaning tool (not shown) from the top end 121 of the tubular main body 10 into the drain channel 11 to clean away any obstructing matter after detaching the strainer 20 from the tubular main body 10.

Therefore, the following are advantages of the sink drain device according to the present disclosure:

1. The strainer 20 has a simple structure and can be easily detached from the tubular main body 10 by virtue of the configurations of the external thread 25 of the strainer 20 and the internal thread 125 of the tubular main body 10, such that the manufacturing process is simple and the cost is decreased.

2. After the strainer 20 has been detached from the tubular main body 10, the cleaning tool can clean the drain channel 11 without interference so as to achieve greater the cleaning effectiveness.

3. The drawback of possibly losing the locking bold associated with the abovementioned prior art can be avoided.

4. The operating hole 23, which is shaped only to be engageable with the hexagon key 200, prevents the strainer 20 from being easily stolen.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and. 5, the second embodiment has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment resides in the following. In this embodiment, the sink drain device further comprises a plug 30′. The top surface 131 of the flange 13 is disposed above the top end 121 of the tubular surrounding wall 12, and the flange 13 further has a drain indentation 14′ that is formed in the top surface 121 and that communicates with the drain channel 11. The internal thread 125 is formed under the drain indentation 14′ and a diameter of the drain indentation 14′ is larger than a diameter of the drain channel 11. The plug 30′ is removably and tightly engageable with the drain indentation 14. In this embodiment, the plug 30′ is made of rubber. The second embodiment has the same advantages as those of the first embodiment, and is adapted to be installed in a household sink that can retain water

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the third embodiment has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment resides in the configurations of the connection between the tubular main body 10 and the strainer 20. The surrounding wall 12 of the tubular main body 10 has a locking portion 125″ that is formed adjacent to the top end 121, and the strainer 20 has a locking section 25″ that is formed on the side surrounding surface 221 and that engages removably the locking portion 125″. One of the locking portion 125″ of the tubular main body 10 and the locking section 25″ of the strainer 20 is a protrusion, and the other one of the locking portion 125″ of the tubular main body 10 and the locking section 25″ of the strainer 20 is a groove. In this embodiment, the locking portion 125″ of the tubular main body 10 is a protrusion, and the locking section 25″ of the strainer 20 is a groove. It should be noted that, the internal thread 125, the external thread. 25, and the operating hole 23 that are disclosed in the first embodiment are omitted in the third embodiment. The annular wall 22 is formed with a plurality of slots 26″ that extend upwardly from a bottom end thereof and that extend radially therethrough.

With the design of the slots 26″, a lower portion of the annular wall 22 is resiliently deformable to permit engagement between the locking section 25″ and the locking portion 125″ and the disengagement of the locking section 25″ from the locking portion 125″. As shown in FIG. 8, when detaching the strainer 20, two noses of a needle-nose pliers 300 are inserted respectively into any two of the drain holes 24 to clamp a center portion of the top wall 21 of the strainer 20 therebetween, so that the user can pull the needle-nose pliers 300 upwardly to detach the strainer 20 from the tubular main body 10. The third embodiment has the same advantages as those of the first embodiment.

In conclusion, the drawbacks associated with the abovementioned prior art can be overcome.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sink drain device comprising: a tubular main body having a tubular surrounding wall that extends along an axis and that defines a drain channel, said tubular surrounding wall having a top end, a bottom end that is opposite to said top end, and an internal thread that is formed adjacent to said top end; and a strainer detachably mounted in said tubular main body, and having an upper surface, a lower surface that is opposite to said upper surface, a side surrounding surface that extends downwardly from a periphery of said upper surface, a non-circular operating hole that is formed in said upper surface and that is registered with the axis, a plurality of drain holes that extend through said upper and lower surfaces and that surround said operating hole, and an external thread that is formed on said side surrounding surface and that is threadedly and removably connected to said internal thread of said tubular main body.
 1. The drain device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating hole of said strainer is a hexagonal hole.
 3. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said operating hole extends through said upper and lower surfaces along the axis.
 3. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said strainer includes: a top wall having said upper and lower surfaces, said operating hole, and said drain holes; and an annular extending downwardly from a periphery of said top wall, and having said side surrounding surface and said external thread.
 5. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said tubular main body further has a top surface disposed above said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and a drain indentation formed in said top surface and communicating with said drain channel, said internal thread being formed under said drain indentation, a diameter of said drain indentation being larger than a diameter of said drain channel, said sink drain device further comprising plug removably and tightly engageable with said drain indentation.
 6. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said tubular main body further has a flange extending radially and outwardly from said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and having said top surface and said drain indentation.
 7. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said tubular main body further has a top surface disposed above said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and a drain indentation formed in said top surface and communicating with said drain channel, said internal thread being formed under said drain indentation, a diameter of said drain indentation being larger than a diameter of said drain channel, said sink drain device further comprising a plug removably and tightly engageable with said drain indentation.
 7. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said tubular main body further has a flange extending radially and outwardly from said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and having said top surface and said drain indentation.
 9. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said tubular main body further has a top surface disposed above said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and a drain indentation formed in said top surface and communicating with said drain channel, said internal thread being formed under said drain indentation, a diameter of said drain indentation being larger than a diameter of said drain channel, said sink drain device further comprising a plug removably and tightly engageable with said drain indentation.
 10. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said tubular main body further has a flange extending radially and outwardly from said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and having said top surface and said drain indentation.
 11. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tubular main body further has a top surface disposed above said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and a drain indentation formed in said top surface and communicating with said drain channel, said internal thread being formed under said drain indentation, a diameter of said drain indentation being larger than a diameter of said drain channel, said sink drain device further comprising a plug removably and tightly engageable with said drain indentation.
 12. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said tubular main body further has a flange extending radially and outwardly from said top end of said tubular surrounding wall, and having said top surface and said drain indentation.
 13. A sink drain device comprising: a tubular main body having a tubular surrounding wall that extends along an axis and that defines a drain channel, said tubular surrounding wall having a top end, a bottom end that is opposite to said top end, and a locking portion that is formed adjacent to said top end; and a strainer detachably mounted in said tubular main body, and having an upper surface, a lower surface that is opposite to said upper surface, a side surrounding surface that extends downwardly from a periphery of said upper surface, a plurality of drain holes that extend through said upper and lower surfaces, and a locking section that is formed on said side surrounding surface and that engages removably said locking portion of said tubular main body.
 14. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of said locking portion of said tubular main body and said locking section of said strainer is a protrusion, and the other one of said locking portion of said tubular main body and said locking section of said strainer is a groove.
 15. The sink drain device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said strainer includes: a top wall having said upper and lower surfaces, and said drain holes; and an annular wall extending downwardly from a periphery of said top wall, having said side surrounding surface and said locking section, and formed with a plurality of slots that extend upwardly from a bottom end thereof and that extend radially therethrough. 